Digital arts and crafts computer peripheral toy device

A computer peripheral toy device is provided that connects to a personal computer and enables a child user to create drawings, animated figures, cards, posters, and other projects and items. The device includes a housing having a drawing tablet and a stylus that connects to the housing for use on the drawing tablet. There a plurality of buttons on the top surface of the housing that a user depresses when engaging in a drawing activity. Computer software is provided for installation on the personal computer in order to display data associated with a drawing activity. When executed by the computer, the computer software causes the computer to respond to the messages received from the controller to engage in a drawing activity using drawing style parameters based on which of the drawing style buttons, color palette buttons and design tool buttons are selected by a user.